After revealing that Phantom Blade Zero would encourage players to act with “honor,” S-Game has clarified that there’s no “honor system” per se. Just that side quests can “influence the direction of the main story.”
Aside from the 20 to 30 hour storyline, the hack and slash action adventure will see players encounter “strangers brought together by chance” who “have their own stories.” However, producer/director Soulframe Liang described these encounters as akin to the butterfly effect in their influence on the main quest. “Who you are depends on everything you do.”
Of course, he didn’t go into details on the decisions you’ll have to make, much less which could be considered honorable. Far be it from any decision to be the most straightforward. Regardless, helping these strangers could save the protagonist, Soul, from a grisly fate. We’ve seen similar approaches in games like Black Myth: Wukong, so it wouldn’t be surprising if this ultimately leads to the true ending.
Phantom Blade Zero launches on September 9th for PS5 and PC, with S-Game confirming it to be in the “intense, final stages of development.” It’s also worth noting that despite taking the advice of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive to “cut things,” the amount of side content could drive playtimes up to 50 hours.
Furthermore, Liang said that players might experience only 30 percent of the game in their first playthrough. Beyond the side content, is there a possibility of new content in New Game Plus? Time will tell, so stay tuned for updates.
